Your Corner Dark by Desmond Hall

Author:Desmond Hall
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Published: 2021-01-19T00:00:00+00:00

Twenty-Five

the nurse clutched Frankie’s father’s medical chart to her chest as if it were a sick child. “The doctor feels the treatment hasn’t had enough time to take effect yet,” she was telling Frankie. “The delay in getting the Linezolid didn’t help, and your father’s blood pressure is lower than we’d like, but we still have hope.”

“Hope. Pfff.” His father looked up at the ceiling, clenched his jaw.

Frankie’s mouth went dry. When the treatment had come, he’d expected a quick recovery. But his father’s face was still tinged with an unhealthy yellow, and now his eyes were sunk deep, as if etched in with some sort of tool. His arms were covered in goose bumps despite the fever. Frankie wondered if the nurse was just being hopeful. Maybe the treatment wasn’t going to work after all? Still, he had to be hopeful also.

Frankie bobbed in the cheap plastic chair, his nerves electric. His father could easily decide to say to hell with the treatment and walk out of the hospital, banking on cerise tea. Bumboclot! “So, how long do you think it will take for him to get better?” Frankie asked.

She pulled harder on the chart. “I can only say that the doctor remains hopeful.”

Samson slapped at the rail. “Lawd God, you people even know what you’re doing?”

The nurse sighed. She was pretty, in a tired way. “Mr. Green. I sincerely wish you were feeling better. We’re doing what we can,” she said.

Frankie didn’t wait for his father to start in about using bush tea or any other country cure. “It’s okay. We’re grateful for all you’re doing.” He nodded firmly at his father.

His father turned his head away in disgust.

The nurse hooked Samson’s chart to the bed rail. “All right then. If there’s nothing else, I’ll leave you two alone.” Odd—she wasn’t looking Frankie in the eye anymore. And her words seemed more clipped than usual, like she was nervous. She was scared, he realized. Was it something about Samson’s prognosis—or had she somehow gleaned that Frankie was in a posse? No, he was just being paranoid.

“Thank you,” Frankie called after her.

Soon as she was gone, Frankie’s father slammed his hand against the mattress. “This is bullshit. Me have a good mind to just leave this damn place.” He was breathing heavily.

“You can’t do that, Daddy!”

“All that money,” he muttered. “You know what? Get me clothes, mon.”

“No, Daddy.” Frankie tried not to sound desperate as he grasped his father’s forearm. The skin felt hot, the muscles soft. “You need to do this. I’ve got it taken care of. Just lay back down.”

“In all this time me not getting any better. It’s bullshit, mon!” He stabbed a finger in the air. “All them want is money.”

Frankie kept his hand on Samson’s arm. “We just have to wait for the treatment to work.”

His father pulled his arm loose and struggled into a sitting position. Frankie knew the effort this took him, the cost of the show.

“Frankie, look, thank you. But next thing you know, them going to want more money.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.